American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo hill in Rome, Italy, and a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. Founded in 1894 and formally chartered by the United States Congress in 1905, it awards prestigious Rome Prizes to American artists and scholars each year, supporting residencies across the visual arts, music, literature, design, and the humanities. The Academy’s campus on the Janiculum commands panoramic views over the historic centre of Rome and is home to a distinguished library, a garden, and the McKim, Mead & White-designed Villa Aurelia.
At a glance
- Type
- Research and arts academy; overseas cultural institute
- Period
- Founded 1894; chartered by US Congress 1905
- Style
- Beaux-Arts villa campus (McKim, Mead & White)
- Location
- Via Angelo Masina 5, Gianicolo, Rome, Italy
- Coordinates
- 41.8876° N, 12.4626° E
Overview
The American Academy in Rome is one of the most celebrated overseas scholarly and artistic institutions in the world, drawing leading American writers, painters, sculptors, architects, composers, filmmakers, and humanist scholars to work in Rome each year. The Rome Prize, awarded annually since 1895, is among the most competitive fellowship programmes in the United States and has supported alumni including composers Samuel Barber and Ned Rorem, architect Louis Kahn, and poet Richard Wilbur. The Academy also administers a specialist library of more than 160,000 volumes focused on Italian culture, classical studies, and the arts.
History
The Academy grew out of the American School of Classical Studies in Rome, established in 1894 by a group of architects who had been inspired by the École des Beaux-Arts model of training through direct study of classical monuments. Congress granted it a federal charter in 1905, making it one of only a handful of cultural institutions to hold that status. The campus expanded through the early twentieth century to include the Villa Aurelia, which had been bequeathed to the institution, and the McKim Main Building completed in 1914. Throughout the twentieth century the Academy broadened its fellowship categories from architecture and classical studies to encompass all the major arts and humanities disciplines.
What you see
The campus occupies a large walled estate on the Gianicolo and includes the Beaux-Arts main building with its arcaded courtyard, the Villa Aurelia surrounded by formal gardens, and a sunny terrace with views stretching across Rome to the Alban Hills. Fellows’ studios and residences are integrated into the campus, and the Arthur and Janet C. Ross Library occupies a dedicated building. The Academy gardens, planted with Italian stone pines and Mediterranean shrubs, are among the most serene green spaces accessible (for events and open days) in western Rome.
Cultural significance
The American Academy has profoundly shaped American engagement with European classical and Renaissance culture, producing generations of artists, architects, and scholars who brought those influences back to the United States. Its campus architecture and garden design have themselves become models studied internationally, while its publications, symposia, and exhibitions make it an active contributor to contemporary discourse on culture and heritage. The Academy is widely regarded as the most important American cultural institution in Europe.
Practical information
- Address
- Via Angelo Masina 5, 00153 Roma RM
- Access
- Library open to qualified researchers by appointment; public events and exhibitions held regularly — check the official website
- Hours
- Check official website for current hours and public programming
- Website
- aarome.org
Getting there
The Academy is located on the Gianicolo hill above Trastevere. Bus line 115 from Largo di Torre Argentina stops near the top of the hill. On foot from Trastevere, take Via Garibaldi uphill (15–20 minutes). From the Vatican, Via della Lungara leads to Trastevere, from where the climb begins. Taxis can drop visitors at the gate on Via Angelo Masina.